Thailand’s dream islands in the race for world heritage

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The responsible United Nations committee has shortlisted a corresponding application from their country, the newspaper “Bangkok Post” quoted the deputy head of the DNP (Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation), Rungnapa Phattanawiboon, as saying Monday. “We hope that the majority of the 21 member states will vote in favour,” she said. It was not yet clear when a decision would be made.

The application covers six national parks and marine national parks in Phuket, Phang Nga and Ranong provinces. These include the Sirinat Coastal Park in the northwest of Thailand’s largest island of Phuket, the Laem Son Marine Reserve and the Mu Koh Surin and Mu Ko Similan National Parks, two of the most beautiful diving areas in the world. The area covers nearly 116,000 hectares and another 176,000 hectares of buffer zones.

The region is home to numerous species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, hundreds of bird species and more than 2,000 species of marine life, the DNP stressed. The region is also a habitat for endangered species such as the Malayan pangolin and the giant manta ray. If UNESCO agrees, the “Andaman Sea Natural Reserves of Thailand” could already be part of the World Heritage in 2025. (SDA)

Source: Blick